Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) - Head & Neck Surgery For more information
1 Jurong East St 21, Singapore 609606 General enquiries: 6716 2000 Fax: 6716 5500 www.juronghealth.com.sg
The Department of Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) - Head & Neck Surgery provides a wide range of surgical services for adult patients with ENT, head and neck diseases. Patients are referred from polyclinics, general practitioners, emergency services or transferred from other departments within the Ng Teng Fong General Hospital or other healthcare facilities, including nursing homes, community and other hospitals. Our team of highly-trained ENT-Head & Neck surgeons and allied healthcare professionals aim to provide the best possible care to our patients.
Jurong Medical Centre 60 Jurong West Central 3, Singapore 648346 General enquiries: 6551 7888 Fax: 6551 7880 www.jmc.com.sg
Clinical and appointment line hours (closed on Sundays and public holidays)
Clinical and appointment line hours (closed on Sundays and public holidays)
For appointments, please call 6716 2222 Monday - Friday 8.00am - 5.30pm, Saturday 8.00am - 12.30pm
For appointments, please call 6551 7828 Monday - Friday 8.00am - 5.30pm, Saturday 8.00am - 12.30pm
For dental appointments, please call 6716 2233 Monday - Thursday 8.00am - 5.30pm Friday 8.00am - 5.00pm
For dental appointments, please call 6716 2233 Monday - Friday 8.00am - 5.30pm
Getting there
Getting there
By train
By train
Jurong East MRT Station
Boon Lay MRT Station
By bus
By bus
From Jurong East Bus Interchange SBS 51, 52, 66, 78, 79, 97, 97e, 98, 98M, 105, 143, 143M, 160, 183, 197, 333, 334, 335, 506
SBS 30, 79, 154, 157, 174, 179, 181, 182, 192, 193, 194, 198, 199, 240, 241, 242, 243 W/G, 246, 249, 251, 252, 254, 255, 257, 405 SMRT 172, 178, 180, 187
Along Boon Lay Way SBS 99, Private bus service 625
Disclaimer: The information in this brochure is meant for educational purposes and should not be used as substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment. Please seek your doctor’s advice before starting any treatment or if you have any questions related to your health, physical fitness or medical condition.
Tinnitus
Copyright Š JurongHealth B E 027-13 May 2013 Updated June 2015
Ng Teng Fong General Hospital and Jurong Community Hospital
What is tinnitus?
Does tinnitus cause deafness?
Tinnitus means “ringing” and can be a ringing, whistling, buzzing or a multitude of different sounds a person hears in the ear or head. Tinnitus is the perception of sound without any actual external sound present. It is a common complaint and about 10% of people suffer from it.
Most patients with tinnitus have hearing loss but research indicates that tinnitus does not cause deafness.
What causes tinnitus? Any ear disease can cause tinnitus. However, it is mostly caused by damage to the microscopic endings of the hearing nerve of the inner ear. The damage can be caused by viral infection, excessive noise exposure or ageing. Other causes include outer ear infection, ear tumours, wax accumulation, eardrum perforations or middle-ear infection. Quite often, there is no obvious cause for tinnitus.
What are the complications of tinnitus? Prolonged tinnitus can cause undue anxiety and stress because it can be intrusive and patients worry that they may have an underlying tumour or are becoming deaf. Such anxiety and stress can make the tinnitus sound even louder. Some patients may even have difficulty sleeping. This will have a negative impact on daily work and social activities.
What are the treatment options? Treatment of any underlying ear disease with medication or surgery could be the solution. Idiopathic tinnitus or tinnitus due to nerve damage is harder to treat. Certain kinds of medication may help, but generally the methods used are counselling, coping strategies and sound therapy. The aim of such therapy is to encourage habituation so that the patient eventually does not hear the tinnitus. Sound therapy
How is a diagnosis made? A medical history, physical examination and a hearing test will help to identify where the tinnitus is coming from. An MRI scan may occasionally be required to rule out a tumour growing on the hearing or balance nerve. These tumours are rare but can cause tinnitus.
Sound therapy works by reducing the difference, or contrast, between tinnitus sounds and background sounds. It helps the auditory system to habituate by becoming less “tuned in” and sensitive to tinnitus. Sound therapy should not be used to mask the tinnitus, rather it should mix/blend with it. • Environmental sound therapy uses natural background sounds such as a noisy fan, traffic flowing through a window, a fountain or low levels of music to avoid the silence. • Music therapy uses low levels of music or nature sounds. Relaxation techniques Relaxation techniques such as breathing exercises to reduce stress are a very helpful part of tinnitus management. Distraction techniques These are thought-stopping techniques that work by reducing the focus on tinnitus.